Menswear is trending
For all of us that like to feel we have a tight grip on our personal style, deflecting menswear columns and runway trends are key to staying true to our wardrobe. But surely some of this hits home even if it is a nuance or colour we are seeing or reading a lot of?
Acne Studios
Oversized overcoat (similar)
JOSEPH Fashion
V neck soft wool block knit
Acne Studios
Grey pinstripe trousers (sold out)
Alexander McQueen
Show leather trainers
Personal style is what sets us apart from one person to the next. We all have one. What one person might not look twice at, another is screenshotting to take inspiration from. And as individual as we aim to be, I think we all have an inherent nature to fit in to varying degrees, which is why I think more people buy into trends than others.
Ignoring trends is something I think is important to developing your own taste, yet I think they complicity infiltrate our personal style without us even noticing. Maybe it is not the entirety of the trend that filters through the net, but our outfits may occasionally nod towards them.
Picking up on this outfit, the McQueen trainers probably sit in the same family as the ‘ugly trainer’, its cousin perhaps. The silhouette is definitely something that I wouldn’t of considered say a year or so ago, but now with streetwear being so omnipresent and the shoe being all-white, I think it sits in my rotation nicely and more importantly, authentically. Even the V-neck jumper takes references from streetwear. The deep V makes it more casual with athleisure nods and its vertical stripes add statement.
But for all the influences and trends that may or may not be apparent in my outfit, there are items that I will wear long before a trend and long after them. My coat from Acne Archive is something I have bought knowing it won’t age. It’s part of the permanent wardrobe, my uniform. I aim to have as much of these uniform pieces as required, but there will be items that enter and exit my wardrobe to reflect the mood and trends of the time without even realising.
As for the trousers I picked them up at the Acne Studios store in Bicester Village. Super comfortable and I could not believe my luck when I found them. Perfect with a tuck.
I started tucking my t-shirts and jumpers a while back now. I feel it accentuates proportion and brings focus to the trousers, which is usually my focal point. But as I started thinking about this piece on trends, I started thinking if me tucking was something I picked up through outside influences. I first started seeing it on runways in 2016/2017 (going back even further… 1999 on the school playground) and since then I have naturally gravitated to doing it as well. But if it doesn’t appear on the runway anymore and it begins being phased out by designers, will I stop doing it? At the minute I feel really good about it, but I’ll be interested to see if I look back at this post and think, “oh remember the time I used to tuck my t-shirts in”.
I do not think we would be having conversations on menswear trends a few years ago as much as we are having now. Menswear was more about uniform then it was relevance and now menswear fashion cycles – as the industry continues to grow – have sped up to the point where more ideas are being brought to the fore. Without uniform codes, men need more choice and if that means dad trainers, straight trousers or tucking in their long sleeves, then so be it. But above all, stay true to what you really like.jbicon